Reading in Pajamas
By Kenneth Perkins
Shortly after Remynse Elementary fifth grader Abigail M . makes it home each day , she calls her mother to let her know what homework she has and how long it might take her to finish it .
By the time her mom is home , Abigail is buried inside a book , though not for homework purposes .
She ’ s a ferocious reader , a parents ’ dream since reading is the crucial foundation for doing well in pretty much every subject .
So it wasn ’ t surprising that two of the first people to show up at Remynse ’ s Reading Pajama Party were Abigail and her mother , who headed straight for Teresa Rescendiz ’ s class , which was set up like a restaurant café but with books as the menu items .
“ I ’ m the owner of this establishment ,” said Rescendiz who , when not the proprietor of a reading café , teaches a bilingual fifth-grade class . “ You can come in , sample a book by reading a page or two , and if you like it , you can read the whole thing .”
Rescendiz had almost a buffet of books since they were covering the tables , and you could read any of them for as long as you like .
The Reading Café was just one of a number of inventive ideas for this Pajama Party , starting , perhaps , with the pajama part where many students showed up in their nightwear . As parents and students walked along the hallways where the lights were dimmed others were sitting on blankets with night lights reading books , as if snuggled in bed .
There were half a dozen stations in the cafeteria and other classrooms where students could perform literary feats , beginning with musical chairs . Students did the usual walk around the chairs to music . When the music stopped , they jumped in the chairs . The winners were allowed to snag a book and take it home .
It was clear that Remynse made it a point to have a book - or two - leave with each student who walked through the doors that evening .
“ You can do any of that or just sit and read and sip on some hot chocolate ,” Remynse Assistant Principal Leigh Adams said . “ Something nice and warm for the body and something for the mind . That ’ s how we look at it .”
Arlington School & Family 29